Liam

Neumann U87

The readers of the SOUND ON SOUND magazine have voted: U 87 Ai - the BEST
MICROPHONE, announced during the Winter NAMM show 2012 in Anaheim,
California.

The SOS award went to products, that "have made our lives in the studio all the
more enjoyable". It is a

further evidence for the reputation of the U 87 Ai as the world famous, professional
standard studio condenser microphone. Until today the U 87 sets the mark in the
microphone industry by which all others are measured.

The U 87 presents a wide range of features and versatility that make it to one of the
most desirable mics available. Our users are recognising the microphone
immediately by its distinctive design. Well-known for its warm and well balanced
characteristics - your perfect choice as vocal microphone for all types of music and
speech. (neumann, 2015)
The company's original product was the CMV 3, the world's first commercially available condenser
microphone. It was a rather large (40 cm tall, 9 cm diameter) microphone with several
interchangeable capsule heads which gave it different directional patterns. Because of its shape and
size, this microphone was often known as the "Neumann bottle". It is often seen in historical
photographs of public events in Germany through the period of World War II.

Neumann's factory in Berlin was damaged by Allied firebombing in November, 1943. Georg
Neumann relocated his company to the much smaller town of Gefell in Thuringia and resumed
production at the beginning of the following year. At the close of the war, Thuringia fell
under Soviet control and the company eventually became an East German "Publicly Owned
Operation" (i.e. a state-run enterprise). After the reunification of Germany, the company in Gefell,
which had continued to use the Neumann name, became known as Microtech Gefell.
Meanwhile, Georg Neumann re-established his company as "Georg Neumann GmbH" in one of
the Allied sectors of Berlinand in 1949 began producing a new model of switchable pattern
microphone, the U 47, based on the M 7 capsule of the earlier CMV 3 series. This microphone was
one of the first condenser microphones to gain widespread acceptance in the recording industry
worldwide. (Wikipedia, 2015)
The U 87 is probably the best known and most widely used Neumann studio microphone. It is
equipped with a large dual-diaphragm capsule with three directional patterns: omni-directional,
cardioid and figure 8. These are selectable with a switch below the head grille. A 10 dB attenuation
switch is located on the rear. It enables the microphone to handle sound pressure levels up to 127
dB without distortion. Furthermore, the low-frequency response can be reduced to compensate for
proximity effect.

The U 87 Ai condenser microphone is a large diaphragm microphone with three polar patterns and
a unique frequency and transient response characteristic. Users recognize the microphone
immediately by its distinctive design. It is a good choice for most general purpose applications in
studios, for broadcasting, film and television. The U 87 Ai is used as a main microphone for
orchestra recordings, as a spot mic for single instruments, and extensively as a vocal microphone for
all types of music and speech. (Coutant, 2015)

The Neumann U 87 is arguably the best known and most widely used
studio microphone in the world (for good reason). The U 87 Ai condenser
microphone is a large diaphragm microphone with three polar patterns
and a unique frequency and transient response characteristic. A
distinctive design and legendary Neumann sound make this mic a musthave for pro studios. The U 87 is known for its unique frequency and
transient response characteristics which deliver a smooth natural sound
with a variety of source material. The U 87 Ai is used as a main
microphone for orchestra recordings, as a spot mic for single instruments,

and extensively as a vocal microphone for all types of music and speech.
The easy-to-recognize U 87 is a classic!
(SweetWater, 2015)
The Neumann U 87 is probably the best known and most widely used
Neumann studio microphone. It is equipped with a large dual-diaphragm
capsule with three directional patterns: omnidirectional, cardioid and
figure-8. These are selectable with a switch below the head grille.

A 10 dB attenuation switch is located on the rear. It enables the

microphone to handle sound pressure levels up to 127 dB without
distortion. Furthermore, the low frequency response can be reduced to
compensate for proximity effect.

The U 87 Ai is addressed from the front, marked with the Neumann logo.
The frequency response of the cardioid and figure-8 directional
characteristics are very flat for frontal sound incidence, even in the upper
frequency range. The microphone can be used very close to a sound
source without the sound becoming unnaturally harsh. By means of a
high-pass filter interferences through subsonic and low frequencies are
reduced remarkably.

The dual-diaphragm capsule is elastically mounted and protected by a

large head grille. A switch below the head grille selects the three
directional patterns: omnidirectional, cardioid and figure-8. A window
above this switch shows the symbol of the selected characteristic.

The letter A in the name indicates a more recent generation, as compared

to the U 87 i microphones that were built from 1967 to 1986. Modifications
apply to the electronic components of the microphone only; the capsule
remained unchanged.

The present-day circuitry increases the operational headroom of the U 87

Ai by supplying the bias voltages for the capsule through a reduced
resistance. The result is a higher sensitivity of 10 dB for identical sound
pressure levels, and an improved signal-to-noise ratio of 3 dB. (Bruce
Tambling, 2015)

Bibliography
(2015, november 25). Retrieved from neumann: https://www.neumann.com/?
lang=en&id=current_microphones&cid=u87_description
Bruce Tambling. (2015). Retrieved from
https://www.brucetambling.com/wiki/Studio1100:Neumann_U87
Coutant. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.coutant.org/u87ai/
SweetWater. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/U87SetZ
Wikipedia. (2015). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Neumann